Cage-free eggs: they’re becoming a staple on restaurant menus and, increasingly, in the ingredient decks of a variety of grocery products. More than 200 retailers, restaurants and food manufacturers have committed to using only cage-free eggs, and most of them have promised to do so by 2025. Many others are following suit.

However, these commitments may have been made prematurely, and not because the practice of using cage-free eggs and responding to consumer demands isn’t a noble endeavor. Rather, it’s because some analysts suspect it simply may not be possible.

The egg market has seen considerable volatility in recent months and years, not only in the form of shell eggs, but for dried, frozen and liquid egg products as well. Since mid-January 2018, nest run egg pricing saw a 121% price increase and are now priced more than four times what they were a year ago. Dried egg yolk remains 66% higher than a year ago and frozen yolks rose nearly 100%. Liquid white prices have more than doubled in 2018 alone.

Many food manufacturers have their tried-and-true recipes for chocolate chip cookies but, because of volatile and unstable egg markets in addition to costly refrigeration and FDA requirements, some are looking for ways to reformulate without using this staple ingredient (and without losing the signature flavors and rich, chewy textures their chocolate chip cookies are known for).

Recently, the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) confirmed that flocks of chickens owned by commercial breeders in Lincoln County, Tennessee, and Giles County, Tennessee, tested positive for the highly pathogenic H7 avian influenza (HPAI, or commonly known as “bird flu”). While quarantine and depopulation measures were taken, the fact that a bird flu outbreak arose in the commercial arena for the first time in about two years is cause for concern.

These days, consumers are always looking for ways to live healthier lifestyles. From using personal activity trackers to paying closer attention to labels in the grocery store, consumers have made it clear that their desire for achieving optimal health is much more than just a passing fad.

Whether you’re in the Midwest or not, chances are pretty likely that you’ve heard – and started to worry – about the outbreak of Avian Flu by now. The outbreak is being called the largest-ever bird flu outbreak in the United States, and more than 23 million turkeys and chickens have been affected since December.